1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data storage device of the type that accepts a removable disk cartridge, and more particularly, to a low cost mechanism for performing multiple functions in a data storage device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Removable disk cartridges for storing digital electronic information typically comprise an outer casing or shell that houses a rotatable recording medium, or disk, upon which electronic information can be stored. The cartridge shell often comprises upper and lower halves that are joined together to house the disk. The disk is mounted on a hub that rotates freely within the cartridge. When the cartridge is inserted into a data storage device, e.g., disk drive, a spindle motor in the drive engages with the disk hub in order to rotate the disk within the cartridge. The outer shell of the cartridge typically has some form of opening near its forward edge to provide the recording heads of the drive with access to the recording surfaces of the disk. A shutter or door mechanism is often provided to cover the opening when the cartridge is not in use to prevent dust or other contaminants from entering the cartridge and settling on the recording surface of the disk.
Data storage devices, e.g. disk drives, for receiving removable disk cartridges perform a number of functions incident to the recording and/or retrieval of information from a disk cartridge. For example, two very critical functions are: (i) to latch or hold the cartridge in place during operation, releasing and ejecting the cartridge only at an appropriate time and only under certain conditions, and (ii) locking the read/write heads of the disk drive in place to prevent movement of the heads under inappropriate circumstances. Prior art disk drives typically treat these and other functions separately, often including multiple electro-mechanical devices to perform each function. Use of multiple electro-mechanical devices increases the cost and complexity of these prior art disk drives. Cost concerns sometimes force the data storage device designer to include manually operated mechanisms that may make the data storage device less user-friendly. Consequently, there is a need for a data storage device, or disk drive, having apparatus for performing multiple functions in a simpler, more cost effective manner. The present invention satisfies this need.